Think condoms mean safe sex? Think again.
London’s Times newspaper reports that Police in China have raided a 215-square-foot factory in central Hunan province that produces fake condoms.

State media reveals that the workshop has earned approximately $12,000 since March by producing 2.16 million unsterilized brand-name condoms, including “Durex,” “Rough Rider,” “Jissbon,” “Six Sense” and “Love Card.”

During the police raid, workshop employees were found neglecting to sterilize the condoms. Instead, the workers simply lubricated the rubbers with vegetable oil and popped them into bags.

Four people have been arrested in connection with the workshop, which police said was well-organized.

“This is by far the largest case involving producing and selling fake condoms in Hunan Province,” one police officer said.

Authorities are still searching for as many as 1 million condoms produced by the offending factory. They warned consumers that the contraceptives already have been distributed and that those who have bought them risk pregnancy and disease.

Police say that price is a good indicator of whether a condom is counterfeit. The regular market price for Durex condoms is $7, while an online shop based in Hunan was selling 12 packs of the fake condoms for as little as $2.

China’s condom market is the fourth largest in the world, with annual sales of about $2 billion. But officials estimate that a third of all condoms in some areas of the country are fake.

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